Peripheral data storage devices engineered to offer individuals the ability to quickly establish private collaborative work group are of current interest.
In particular, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/633,283, filed Feb. 27, 2015, there is disclosed a “mission-specific” computer peripheral that provides a portable linkable work platform, which is stated to be useful for “establishing an office computing infrastructure quickly, at low cost, and without professional computing expertise”.
The office infrastructure device includes both data storage (for storage of operating and user data) and a unique device identification code (for identification when the device is plugged into a host personal computer). When connected, user executable code within the device is accessed through the host personal computer to launch thereon a user-definable work space. This work space provides, among other office infrastructure functions and applications, access to programming that enables the “synching” of data between the device and a private internet site, as well as programming that enables the user to manage and share data with other authorized office infrastructure device users.
In the course of developing and improving this technology, it was observed that the novel platform provided broad opportunities for consolidating potentially several and disparate user applications. Even in basic embodiments, within a single work space window, a user is provided access to an integrated file sharing application, an integrated calendar application, and an integrated social network application. Addition by the user is anticipated.
With broad expansibility and evolving multi-functionality, the office infrastructure device can engender progressively heavier (and potentially knottier) usage over time. Development opportunities are thus felt available to make the device even more compelling and worthwhile throughout its course by streamlining its user authentication processes, and extending the resulting data to other integrated applications—original or later added—that are in need of it.